


These Men Are Wolves

by TeaBeast



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Abuse, Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Angst, Atlas CEO Rhys, BDSM, Canon Compliant Violence, Developing Relationship, Dubious Consent, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hyperion CEO Jack, Jack is back from the dead, Jack is going to kill Rhys if he gets his hands on him, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Rival CEO's, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Smut, Stalking, There will be more tags as I go, Tim has a crush on everybody, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-09-21 18:06:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaBeast/pseuds/TeaBeast
Summary: Jack has been brought back from the dead and he's out for Rhys' blood. He has sent his body double Tim out to bring in the man who betrayed him. Rated E for later chapters.





	1. Timothy's Bounty

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first long form fic I've had chance to write in a while. I'm going to try and upload once a week. Definitely at least twice a month. Rated E for later chapters.

“Hey sugar, What's a face like yours doing in a place like this?”

Tim stopped in his tracks upon hearing the dulcet tones of a woman he saw in his dreams on a nightly basis. He had hoped to sneak past her and save himself the embarrassment of tripping over his tongue. Moxxi had an _effect_ on most people, but Tim felt like whenever she was around his brain took a holiday and his heart was piloting the ship.

The doppelgänger took a deep breath and turned to face the woman behind the bar, a rakish grin on his face and his fists pressed to his hips. As an after thought he pushed his hips forward and hoped he looked the picture of heroism.

“H-Huh...? I'm Handsome Jack...! S-Surely you remember your... Uh... Old flame!”

Moxxi put her hands on her own hips as if mocking him, her head cocked to one side as she pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. Tim could feel sweat beading at his brow as he held the pose ridged and trembling a little. Moxxi didn't scare him, it was more like he was scared of how big his crush had grown from one real meeting. Sure he'd seen her from afar ( not that he had been stalking her... They just happened to be in the same place at the same time... _Really! I didn't do a Janey, I swear!_ ) a number of times, but he'd never had the chance to actually talk to her properly. Every time he came here it was for business... _Jack_ business. But gosh she'd made an impression.

“Oh sweet honeypie...”

The sound of her laughter caused Tim's cheeks and ears to flush pink. God he had it bad... Did Jack feel this way when they first started dating? Probably not... Tim couldn't imagine Jack being anything other than cool and charming.

“I'd know that cocksure asshole anywhere...”

Her grin took on a flirtatious edge as she leaned over the bar and gently poked his nose, her own wrinkled in amusement ( _ohhh gosh that's cute... she's so cute..._ )

“And you're not it~”

Timothy almost went crosseyed as he concentrated on that delicate fingertip pressed to the end of his nose. He was disappointed when Moxxi went back to idly cleaning down the bartop; but couldn't help how his eyes strayed downwards every time she leaned over.

“Uh... Yeah... Just... Gotta k-keep up the act, you know? A-All part of the job!”

The smile that played on her lips now was wry as she nodded to one of the empty barstools; if a double was here then it had something to do with her ex who had recently miraculously come back from the dead. It was a smile Tim was wary of as he was certain she could ask him anything and he'd give her whatever she wanted. Tell her anything...

“Hang on... I've batted my eyes at you before, haven't I? You're the kid who got that ridiculous surgery done... Take a seat, Sugar. Tell me all about what big bad Jack has you doing now.”

Tim deflated completely and all but poured himself onto the barstool she'd gestured to. Often he pretended that he wasn't that guy who got all that surgery. He always tried to pass himself off as one of the guys with the cloaking devices, it was less humiliating that way. Much better than admitting he'd ruined his entire life by getting extensive plastic surgery to make himself look like a psychotic mass murderer. Not that Jack had been that way at the time... An ego the size of the damn moon maybe and had some strange ideas on how things should be done but... He was ok. He'd been nice to him. But as the years went on... Tim hunched his shoulders and stared at the stained rings from years and years of pint glasses on the bar.

“D-Do you know how he came back? H-How he's alive again?”

It wasn't a closely guarded secret, but gossip around these parts was one giant game of Chinese whispers. Tim had actually heard people liken it to the second coming of Christ ( _more like the Anti-Christ..._ ) He'd gotten Moxxi's full attention now and god he wished it was for something other than Handsome _fucking_ Jack. What about Timothy Lawrence, huh? Didn't he deserve to be taken on his own merit for once? ( _well you did make the world's dumbest mistake so..._ ) Tim glanced up as two glasses were set in front of him and Moxxi poured them both whisky. His cheeks darkened and the freckles that kept coming back no matter what the medical team tried to do looked almost bronze against the pink of his skin.

“You talk all you want, baby. It looks like you need to.”

She was right. Moxxi was so so right. Tim had so much piled on his shoulders and had done for the past few months that he felt like he might explode if he didn't tell someone. But... At the same time he didn't want to talk, not about all this Jack business anyway. Tim just wanted to look at her. To listen to her talk about her day and anything else she wanted. ( _Gosh she's pretty. She's just so so pretty. How do I tell her I can't stop thinking about her? Its creepy and weird and... She's so lovely..._ ) He rolled his glass between his palms, not having even taken a single sip yet. He had to say something soon or she might find someone else more interesting to pay attention to.

“It's... Well... There's this guy who ended up plugging Jack into his head by accident... Cause.... Ok so I know that sounds weird but after he'd died there was an AI of his consciousness uploaded and the file went missing and ended up in this guys head...”

Ok so he was definitely going to need a drink for this. Even for a guy who was living a god-damn sci-fi movie of a life, all this sounded a bit too far-fetched, and from Moxxi's raised eyebrow Tim gathered maybe she thought the same way. The whisky was downed in one and was closely followed by Tim coughing from the burn. Mismatched eyes glanced back at the bottle; a soft huff of laughter and Moxxi refilled his glass.

“Th-Thanks... Um... Anyway so... Whilst Jack was in this guys head he was able to hack into his Echo and send messages back to the few people who were still loyal to him without the guy knowing.”

“Did you get a message?”

Tim hunched his shoulders and his cheeks flushed a darker red; the twinkle in Moxxi's eyes said that she hadn't but was actually quite glad about that fact.

“Y-Yeah I did... It just said, stay hidden and safe, Daddy's coming home.”

Moxxi rolled her eyes so hard that Tim was worried she'd hurt herself, but she downed her own drink and poured herself another.

“I see he's still not saving that shit for the bedroom. Anyway... You carry on, sugar.”

A weak little chuckle fell from Tim's lips, he watched a little starry-eyed as her throat moved, swallowing the burning liquid down in one like it was nothing. He wondered what it would be like to have a woman like Moxxi in love with you. Wondered how Jack could have let someone so pretty and ( from what he could see ) such a sweet person slip from his grasp? Jack had never been... Charitable when talking about Moxxi, but she was still alive, so... He can't hate her that much, right?

“There had been a.. A plan in place... Just in case anything had happened to Jack. He had a... Metal robot skeleton thing made... It was s-supposed to go i-inside his body and...”

Moxxi pulled a face of repulsion and Tim gave a sympathetic look.

“Yeah... I know... I-It's frigging gross but... I... I guess he was willing t-to do anything to be immortal, or as close to it as... as he could get. But... After w-well his death.... There wasn't.... I mean... They couldn't find enough of his body to...”

Tim made a vague gesture with his hands like he was trying to wrap up a torn and floppy burrito and after a few confused looks, realisation dawned in Moxxi's eyes. ( _those pretty pretty eyes_ ) She looked disgusted and one hand pressed to her chest as the other gripped the bar. Moxxi had seen some things in her time, but this was... Something else.

“Well... _Hell_ , sugar, that sounds like something from god-damn Frankenstein.”

The doppelgänger nodded with a wry grin and glanced into the amber liquid in his glass. It certainly was something...

“N-Now this part you probably know... Hyperion was raided and everyone still loyal to Jack had to make a run for it. I-It was a purge of a-anyone and everyone who would make life difficult in the take over. H-Honestly it's something Jack would have d-done himself so h-he was kinda grudgingly impressed when h-he found out.”

Well, impressed and _royally pissed off_. It was as if the man had expected to come back from the dead and find everything exactly how he'd left it. But then again, it wasn't surprising that Jack thought the entire universe would fall apart without him. The man's ego was indestructible.

“So... The robo skeleton was abandoned... Jack's office was kept like some kind of... Museum. And one of the scientists took the drive with Jack's consciousness on it. But... He must have dropped it or died or something cause... Jack ended up in some random Hyperion employee's head. He... He doesn't really talk much about those times other than the guy betrayed him a-after he was going to give him everything and he... Well he got Jack out of his head somehow...”

Moxxi gave another wry look and topped up both their glasses. Jack was a stickler for loyalty and if he thought you'd betrayed him... Well... All hell would break loose. She herself was amazed that he hadn't come after her... In fact she had been terrified when she'd heard about how he'd come back from the dead; so certain that her days were numbered. It hadn't happened yet, but that didn't mean that Moxxi thought herself safe.

“I'm guessing those science types got their hands on that drive then? And what about you, sugar? Weren't you worried you'd be next in line to become his skin bag?”

Tim let out a startled and horrified laugh which gained him a sympathetic little smile. Oh he'd been worried, scared to absolute death. He'd gone when Jack had called for him because... Well, it was just easier to go rather than be hunted down like a dog. He'd been told everything, the whole damn thing, and just like Moxxi had, he'd been sure his demise was just around the corner. But instead he had been called upon to be brought to Jack's side ( _“You know what they say, kiddo... Sometimes the only person you can trust is yourself... I don't think you'd even know how to stick the knife even if you had a chance to...”_ ) and it was then he'd met the man who had _volunteered_ to be Jack's skin.

“Uh well.... Lucky f-for me I didn't h-have to worry about that. Jack has some... _I-Interesting_ fans... Like... People who would do a-anything to be near him and so... The word had been put out for another body double... A... A real one... _Like me..._ ”

Tim gestured to himself with a lopsided grin. He hoped it came across as confident and charming. Like he was actually quite proud of his job and liked being a body double. But unfortunately it came across as pretty sheepish...

“S-So it was the same process all over again... Find someone the same height and weight and similar bone structure to Jack and then... W-Well... Go to work on them.”

The next whisky was downed and Tim hissed at the burn as it trickled down his throat and warmed his chest and stomach. Moxxi was matching him drink for drink and his heart did a little flutter when her hand was on his. Her thumb rubbed over his knuckles in a comforting manner and the doppelgänger felt like he was floating on fluffy clouds.

“Th-They found a guy and... Well... They didn't... Uh... Outright _lie_ to him but... It was implied that he would be sharing his head with Jack...”

Moxxi squeezed Tim's hand and he had to gather everything in himself to look her in the eyes and not hear wedding bells. Her hand was warm in his and it felt so delicate; he chanced a look down and curled his fingers around hers. ( _Gosh her hand looks so tiny compared to mine... I know full well she can look after herself but... I wanna protect her..._ ) Her voice cut through his daydreams and he looked back up and gave her a dopey smile. Moxxi, however, looked deeply concerned.

“I'm guessing that guy isn't living out his days with Handsome Jack rattling around in his head?”

Tim winced and shook his head, his free hand swiping two fingers across his throat.

“V-Very dead. _Super dead._ And it... It was _scary!_ He had a couple of weeks as Jack, making sure that the surgery took and... And that there were no problems. Then... Then they said it was time for Jack to be _reborn_ and... He just... He just happily walked t-to his own slaughter. And then... Twelve hours later... Jack walked out.”

He reached for the bottle, fully intending to fill the glass all the way to the top, but Moxxi slapped his hand away. Tim swiftly moved his hand away from the bottle as if she had burned him and looked at her with wary puppy eyes.

“Oh no no, sugar... You need your wits about you. As much as I'd love to see what you're like all sloppy, that's going to have to wait until another time.”

Tim perked up at the latter end of Moxxi's sentence, head cocked to one side like a curious dog and he leaned in closer, very aware that their hands were still clasped.

“A-Another time? You mean like... Like a d-date?”

The smile he gave her was the most hopeful thing Moxxi had seen in a long time, and god didn't that softness look strange on Jack's face. She almost couldn't resist ( _sweet boy, I'd eat you for breakfast... But I bet you'd love that, wouldn't you?_ )

“A date? Alright then, sugarplum... You're on.”

Tim's eyes were wide as saucers, in all honesty he hadn't expected that to work. He thought she'd be sweet enough to let him down gently, maybe indulge him with a smile and say something along the lines of him not being her type. But... She'd agreed? He was going to go on a date with Moxxi, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire life. The doppelgänger was pretty sure that his cheeks were bright red, he could certainly feel them burning and he couldn't stop the dopey smile on his face. ( _We were talking about something important... What was it...? Oh! Ohhh! Jack on the warpath..._ )

He gave Moxxi an awkward wink and then fingerguns ( which he instantly regretted ) as a reply to an acceptance of his offer. It was difficult trying to get back on track cause she was right there. In front of him. Looking pretty and smiling at him and just being... Wonderful.

“So... L-Long and exhausting story short... Jack is looking for the guy who stole his robot body and betrayed him. And... He's getting me t-to do it. I mean... It's kinda part of my job so...”

Moxxi huffed and pressed her hands to her hips, she looked cross but at least Tim could tell that it wasn't with him. Something he said?

“You're telling me that Jack has a highly skilled, trained gunman and bodyguard running around being his errand boy? Why am I not surprised... Such a lazy, yellow belly... Never mind that... So this guy who managed to give Jack the slip... he cute?”

The doppelgänger preened as Moxxi described him as being highly skilled. He thought that maybe she was overestimating him and that he wasn't that skilled, but it was nice to hear it all the same. He caught the flirtatious tone in Moxxi's question and felt a twinge of... Jealousy? ( _No no no it's fine... I'm not jealous I just... I mean he is cute so..._ ) Instead of answering, he took the wanted poster out of his pocket and lay it out on the bar. He had it in his ECHO device too but... Tim and technology didn't go together too great. Every time he tried to use any of the super expensive tech Jack had given him, he always just accidentally filmed his crotch or played his music suddenly and far too loud.

“Oh _sugar..._ Ain't this the CEO of Atlas...? He went missing a few months ago...”

Tim nodded and idly played with the edges of the poster. The CEO _was_ cute... He'd even go as far to say he was pretty. But Tim didn't want to know anything about him that didn't help to track him down. It always got too hard from him to bring someone in if they were a nice person or if he was attracted to them or... Basically seeing them as _human_ made it almost _impossible_ for Tim to do his job.

“Y-Yeah... Rhys. He went underground as soon as word got out that Jack was back. I... I guess he must be guilty c-cause... Why would he run otherwise? S-So I'm here to meet a contact who said they can tell me how to find him.”

Moxxi raised an amused eyebrow and glanced over Tim's shoulder before leaning in and murmuring softly in his ear.

“I can do you one better, sweet thing... He just walked in.”

 


	2. Jack Reborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is back from the dead and the first thing he wants to do his get his hands on Rhys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh it's been a while! This was supposed to be a chapter a week kind of deal, but life kind of got in the way. Many apologies for that! I hope you enjoy this Jack-centric chapter!

He'd been stood naked in front of the full length mirror for a good twenty minutes now. Insistent that he had to check everything was perfect, that they hadn't missed a single detail. But the one thing he kept coming back to was his face. It was flawless. Jack had feared that somehow, even though it was a different body, the scar would materialise. Warp his skin and features and make him look monstrous once more. Jack didn't deny to himself that he put a large portion of his success down to his good looks. Intelligence and charm can get you far, but a handsome face could take you all the way.

Jack leaned in closer to the mirror and squinted at his reflection; brows knitted in concentration as his gaze drifted to his left upper thigh. Had that freckle always been there? And that bruise just below his right knee... Had he done that? All this attention to the tiny details was just a distraction from the bigger picture. Jack kept intentionally distracting himself from his face, as if he wasn't quite ready to accept he was back. That he was alive. And he was once again, perfectly Handsome.

He'd almost forgotten what it was like to see his face unscarred. Looking at Tim didn't quite count. Despite them being identical Jack could always see Tim rather than himself. But... There it was. His face. His Handsome face. It had been so long since he'd seen it so perfect. So flawless. If he'd known how much his hands were shaking when he raised his fingertips to his cheek, he would have been furious with himself. But he was too in awe of his reflection to notice.

Jack blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Each time his eyes opened the mirror image was still there. He let out a surprised bark of laughter. Each second that went past he expected that grotesque scar to seep back onto his features. It didn't. He was in shock. But eventually a slow, ecstatic grin stretched his lips to show strong, pearly white teeth.

“Theeeere you are, Handsome. Look at you. Fucking magnificent, that's what you are!”

His hands fisted and pressed to his hips which gave a slight thrust forwards. Hero pose in full effect and the fact he was naked didn't take anything away from it. The soft chuckle grew in volume and soon he was laughing hysterically.

“I'm _back_ , baby! Daddy's home!”

There was something missing. Something about the reflection that didnt quite ring true. Jack dropped his hands to his sides and sucked his teeth in annoyance. He was back. He was _alive_. Brand new body and a brand new chance to make all the wrongs right again. So what was missing? A cruel smirk curled his lips into a tight, vicious line.

_'My hands around that leggy idiot's throat. That's what's fucking missing...'_

_**Rhys**_. He would have given the kid everything and he turned around and stabbed him in the back. Stabbed him in the back then stole the damn dagger from his spine. Yanked Atlas out from under his still warm corpse. Strutted around like he was cock of the walk in his stupid pinstripe suits and brand new sparkly cybernetic arm. Perhaps Jack should have considered what it looked like that he'd demanded to know where Rhys was as soon as he woke up. Groggy and his body feeling like it was made of lead but still he repeated over and over again like some kind of obsessive mantra “Rhys? Rhys! Where the hell is Rhys? I'll kill him! I'll fucking kill him!' The scientists that surrounded him had to strap him to the table so he wouldn't do any damage to himself. It would do no good to have spent all this time and money bringing him back to life just to have him destroy all their hard work.

But what Jack wanted, Jack got. And while he slowly came around and physiotherapists helped him to his feet, the hunt for Rhys had begun. Really it was no competition who was going to hunt the former company man down. Tim. Loyal, money hungry puppy dog Tim. He'd been brought back to Hyperion as soon as the Loyalists had gotten the ECHOeye back; afraid but glad of the thought of being paid again. Jack's AI had been plugged into the main computer while a suitable body could be found; which meant he was able to send Tim the command to return himself. That and peer down at his little worker bees from the giant screens adorning the walls.

Maybe there would have been less mistakes made if he hadn't been breathing down their necks, but he wanted everything to be perfect. Had picked out the possible candidates himself. Had watched with morbid curiosity as the _lucky gu_ y was taken apart and put together in his image. It was strange to look at himself in the mirror now knowing that this had once been someone else's body. Someone else's body that he had paid good money for so... Everything was above board. No thievery or weirdness going on here.

_Rhys probably won't approve..._

The thought came unbidden and Jack snarled at his reflection. It didn't matter if Rhys approved or not. If it wasn't for Rhys rejecting him and fucking everything up then he wouldn't have had to go to these lengths. Rhys should have been grateful. He was giving him everything on a silver platter and he'd thrown it back in his face! He'd spent the majority of his adult life idolising him and wanting to be him, and then the second he gets his wish it's not good enough?

His hands twitched as they raised to form a choking motion in front of him. Jack's brow furrowed deep over his eyes as he imagined his hands around Rhys' neck. Imagined the sensation of Rhys' pulse fluttering against his palm. His adam's apple bobbing against the heels of his hands. The look of fear. Of defeat. Knowing that Jack had won. That Handsome fucking Jack couldn't be killed and swept under the rug by some stupid little codemonkey with ideas above his station. And then he'd...

“Huh..?”

The insistent throb and tightening of his groin made Jack look down. He raised his eyebrows as he found he was stood to full attention. His cock aching and already dripping at the tip; thick and heavy and he found himself wondering if he'd been given an extra inch or two ( not that he'd needed it... ). Getting an erection whilst thinking about his most hated enemy wasn't exactly what he'd expected to happen, but he wasn't going to question it too much.

“Well... At least I know it works...”

That would have been embarrassing. Getting a gorgeous woman ( or three ) up to his flash pad and then finding that his pocket rocket was out of fuel. But everything seemed to be working just fine. Good to know. Now... Where had he been? Oh yes. Choking the life out of that weasly, self important, floppy haired little shit.

“Ohhh kiddo... Just you fucking wait until I get my hands on you. Gonna wring your scrawny little neck and watch the life fade from your eyes. Gonna rip your stupid metal arm off and mount it on my wall. Gonna...”

His cock gave another insistent twitch and throb and Jack furrowed his brow. There was definitely something that had gotten his libido all worked up. Maybe it was a side effect of being in a physical body again. It could be the excitement of being alive and having the chance to get his rightful revenge. Whatever it was, he was going to have to take care of it so he could get back to plotting Rhys' demise. But should it be quick and dirty or long and luxurious? Maybe in the bath?

“Bath. With wine. Hell, an entire bottle of wine! I've been dead twice now, I deserve a fancy jerk off.”

 


	3. Run Rhys Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rhys discovers exactly how much trouble his danger boner has gotten him into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! All the pieces are starting to come together! I think I'm way more comfortable doing shorter chapters more often rather than trying to desperately fit longer chapters in amongst my work schedule and uploading once in a blue moon. I hope you enjoy!

“Oh boy... I'm dead. I'm deader than dead. _Super_ dead.”

Rhys stood in the middle of the circle of holographic screens, each one shrieking the same headline at him over and over again. Illuminating him with their crisp blue light. A shade that reminded him very much of something... _Someone_ from not that long ago...

_**HANDSOME JACK CHEATS DEATH! HEROIC CEO BACK FROM THE GRAVE!** _

How had this happened? Well... It was obvious _how_ it had happened. Rhys had fucked up. He'd lost his old ECHOeye and someone had gotten hold of it... Someone who knew what it was and what it contained... And they'd managed to bring his worst nightmare back to life.

_Now that's a bit of a lie, isn't it? Sleepless nights... And when you **do** sleep those dreams you have aren't exactly nightmares. Waking up with a tightness in your groin and..._

Rhys shook his head hard and rubbed at his face. Not that. He couldn't think about _that_ now. Flight's of fancy and flirtatious fantasy wasn't going to help him now; in fact it would only get him into more trouble. Whatever he had once felt for Handsome Jack, Rhys knew he had to push it down. Deep _deep_ down and destroy it. Forget he ever idolised a power hungry murderer. In his defence it had kind of been a requirement for working for Hyperion but... Perhaps he'd taken it a little _too far_.

“Rhys! _**Rhys!**_ ”

Vaughn's frantic voice coming ever closer made Rhys almost jump out of his skin. With a wave of his hand, the screens flickered and vanished, leaving him with only the sight of his best friend charging towards him with a panicked look on his face. Several mini holo-screens hovered in front of him as he dashed into Rhys' office as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Have you seen this? _Have you_ _ **seen?!**_ I mean, there's no way you _haven't_ , bro. It's _everywhere_. He's back! Handsome Jack is back and... And we're gonna _die_ , bro!”

Rhys dragged his fingers through already unruly hair; the gelled and styled perfection gone long ago as he'd been pacing and fretting from his former boss' miraculous return from the grave. He took a deep breath and turned back to look at his best friend; a hopeful look on his young face. No matter what life threw at them, Rhys knew that he could rely on Vaughn to come up with a plan to get them out of the shit. He was more than just the numbers guy ( although that was absolutely his forte ) he was the one who Rhys trusted more than anyone else. More than even himself. Vaughn would get him out of this. Vaughn wouldn't let him die... Right?

“Yeah, bro... I know. I've seen. We're pretty fucked.”

He let out a nervous little laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. There was something else there, something bubbling beneath the stress and fear. Excitement. Jack was back. He was alive. Not just a hologram poking around in his head; he was a flesh and blood person again. _Human._ Solid, _whole_ and real. _**Touchable**_. It wouldnt be liked all those dreams he'd had in which he writhed beneath a glitching blue glow... If he wanted to, he could...

No. He really had to stop thinking like that. At best it was embarrassing, at worst... Delusional and dangerous. It had been clear from the start that when it came to Handsome Jack, Rhys simply didn't trust himself. He needed a chaperone just to try and get away from the man. Which was what he needed to do now. There was no doubt in his mind that the Hyperion CEO would come after the one person who had destroyed his plans and trapped him inside a broken ECHOeye.

“You kept it, didn't you? You didn't destroy it like you promised. You _kept_ it and now he's _back!_ ”

Rhys' thoughts were interrupted by Vaughn's disappointed but also disbelieving voice. Like this was the only plausible conclusion but he didn't want to believe it. Looking at him with a gaze that begged Rhys to prove him wrong. Rhys knew he was taking too long to answer, knew that his inability to meet Vaughn's eyes made him look horribly guilty, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Just kept opening and shutting his mouth like a fish out of water.

“Come on, bro... Say something. Tell me I'm wrong... _Please..._ ”

“Vaughn...”

“Bro...?”

God this was the worst. It would be easier if Vaughn was angry with him. If he yelled and threw things, maybe even punched him. Anything but this. Anything but the disappointment in his voice and the ever vanishing hope in his eyes. Vaughn would be with him through thick and thin but what if this was too much? What if this stepped too far over the line? He'd fucked up a lot in their friendship and Vaughn had always forgiven him. But maybe... Being the reason that Hyperion could bring Handsome Jack back from the dead was just _too_ much to forgive.

“Look... I didn't mean to... I... It's just that... I didn't destroy the ECHOeye... I don't know _why_ I didn't but.... It just seemed important to keep it, you know? Maybe we would have been able to hack into Jack's AI and... I don't know... Change the code that makes him a homicidal maniac. For all his insanity, Jack was a smart guy... He knew all sorts of things... All that knowledge and...”

Rhys realised he was pacing again. Also that Vaughn hadn't said a single word since he'd started rambling. He took a deep breath and finally turned back to look at his best friend. What he saw there felt like a punch to the stomach. There was that disappointment, still there. Still going strong. But there was something else there too, a sort of... Helplessness. And Rhys wished he had something he could say or do to wipe that look away.

“Vaughn I...”

“Rhys. I don't... I don't wanna hear it, bro. You... You have a _problem_ , you know that? I never said anything about your... Quite honestly... _Fucking ridiculous_ Handsome Jack merch collection because, well... Everyone's got a hobby, right? And it would be hypocritical of me to point that out when I myself have... A pretty fucking ridiculous number of D&D mini figures. But it's more than just admiration... You're... You're... _Obsessed_ with him...”

“Oh _hey_ come on now...”

“Let me talk... Just... Just for five minutes, _shut the fuck up, Rhys_. You've put everyone in danger all because you couldn't let go. And of what? Some.... _Fucking psycho_ who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself! Is that what you want to be, Rhys? _**Really?**_ ”

Vaughn removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes with a ragged sigh. Rhys stood nervously waiting; it wasn't exactly the yelling at he felt he'd deserved but the disappointment cut deeper than any barbed shouted words.

“You need to get out of here. Cause... Cause he's gonna come after you, bro. You get that, don't you? He's going to _kill_ you. It's because of you all his little.... Fucking bonkers plans didn't work out so... You have to run.”

Finally Rhys jumped back to life, raising his hands in surrender and risking a step closer to his friend. His brows furrowed and he shook his head slightly.

“Woah... _Woah_ there... I can't... I can't _leave!_ What about Atlas? My _baby_... She's doing so well and... Well... With Hyperion back under original management, she's going to need me more than ever.”

“You're no use to anyone if you're dead, Rhys.”

Silence fell on the pair as they finally looked at each other. Really looked at each other. For the first time in a while they were just Rhys and Vaughn, two college friends who wanted to chase power and money as far as it would take them. Not the CEO of Atlas and his trusted Accountant. Just the friends they'd always been.

“Rhys... I'll take care of things here. I'll cover for you. I reckon I can bluff for a couple of months, make everyone think you're buried under a load of really important paperwork or something. And if I need any help... Well, Fiona and Sasha are about... And Athena is one manly scream for help away.”

That pulled the slightest of smiles onto Rhys' lips. He sighed and put his hands on his hips in a pose he hoped looked heroic, but then quickly crossed his arms. No. He wasn't Jack. He didn't want to be Jack. Not anymore. That ship had sailed once he'd realised just how far gone his former hero actually was. But... Vaughn was right. He was obsessed with Handsome Jack. There was no avoiding it, but he had to get rid of those... Weird feelings somehow.

“I guess I'd... Better say my goodbyes.”

“No time for that, man. You've gotta go now. You've gotta run, bro.” 

 


End file.
